This invention relates to a portable tennis practice device which includes a tennis ball attached to a weighted container by an elastic line and, more particularly, to a device employing a hollow container which may be filled with a weighting material during use and which may serve as a storage container for the tennis ball and line when it is not in use.
Tennis practice devices are useful in teaching the rudiments of tennis to a beginner and for providing exercise and entertainment to tennis players at all levels of skill. Because a minimum degree of skill is necessary to play the game of tennis enjoyably, it is often difficult for a beginner to find someone to play with. Also because tennis is most enjoyably played between individuals who are at about the same level of skill, even experienced players sometimes have difficulty in finding a sufficiently challenging partner to polish and improve his skills. There is, therefore, a need for players at all levels to have a means for practicing their game.
The most traditional practice medium is a practice wall. However, many players do not have a sufficiently large wall and encompanying play area available to them. Resilient "playback nets" can be a suitable alternative but they are used to best advantage by an experienced player because target area is small and the rebound is often erratic. These devices can be bulky and are often expensive.
Devices do exist whereby a tennis ball is attached by means of an elastic string to a saucer-light weight. The player places the weight at his feet and hits the ball. The elastic line returns the ball so that it can be hit again. Although these devices can be satisfactory, many players find that the return trajectory of the ball can be erratic and the weight tends to slide so the practice value and enjoyment obtained from such devices is limited.
There is need for an inexpensive, completely portable tennis practice device which can be used in a limited space by players at all levels of skill. It is particularly important that the device provide a return trajectory for the tennis ball which is regular and not erratic. Return trajectory control is important so that a player can repeatedly practice forehand, backhand, overhand and serving strokes or mix the strokes in a desired pattern. This is not possible if the return trajectory is erratic.